IDF troops and elite police counter-terror commandos killed four top terrorists in Bethlehem on Wednesday evening. While attempting to arrest the men, who made up the Islamic Jihad's leadership in the city, the troops came under fire near the Bethlehem Mukata (government building), and killed all four in a gun battle. Palestinian claims that the fugitives were responsible for planning last week's attack on Jerusalem's Mercaz Harav Yeshiva, in which gunman Ala Abu Dhaim killed eight students, were flatly denied by Israeli security officials, who added that the troops had not planned to kill the fugitives.
Muhammad Shehadeh, 45, Ahmed Balbul, 48, Amad el-Kamel, 35 and Issa Zohara, 36, were all in direct contact with Islamic Jihad's leadership in Syria and were following orders issued by the organization's leaders there.
| Once again the cannon fodder gets whacked whilst the big cheeses sit safely in Damascus. |
The IDF said that Shehada was held responsible for a series of car bombs and suicide attacks throughout Jerusalem in the beginning of the decade. In November 2000, he sent the car bomb that exploded in downtown Jerusalem killing two people, including the daughter of then-minister Yitzhak Levy from the National Religious Party.
In March 2001, Shehada dispatched a car bomb to the Talpiyot neighborhood in Jerusalem which exploded and wounded five. Later that year he sent two suicide bombers who blew up in two separate incidents and injured close to 50 people.
When the men's bodies were inspected, they were found to be carrying rifles and pistols.
On Wednesday morning, IDF troops killed another Islamic Jihad operative in a pre-dawn gun battle, Palestinian medics and witnesses said. | What this tells me is that the Israelis know who the IJ mooks are but haven't been doing anything about it. They sure could put their hands on these six quickly. Now that IJ is committing these sorts of atrocities the Israelis have to be downright ruthless and roll them up. And maybe whack the safe house in Damascus. |
Palestinian medics said they took the man's body from the scene.
The IDF confirmed that the troops were trying to arrest a high-ranking commander in the village, and opened fire only when the man refused to surrender and began shooting at them.
In Gaza, Islamic Jihad released a statement saying Karkur was one of the group's top West Bank commanders and threatened to avenge his death.
| "We shall have Dire Revenge™!" |